F l u x
by All The Good Names Taken
Summary: Post-JE. When the TARDIS appears mere hours after Bad Wolf Bay, Rose is faced with the chance to choose and change the past. But will she break the rules? Is the past worth giving up this future? -Not exactly what you think- Reviews are love. ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue

**Flux**

"Rose," The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but all he could muster was her name. She looked at him, gazing expectantly. What could he say? What _should _he say? What could he _possibly_ say to make it all better?

"Yes, Doctor?" The name ended as a question. He couldn't help but feel it was more a question of _who _he was, rather than what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry," the words fell lamely from his mouth. They floated in the air between them, softening the wall of emotions. The golden hue ring around her irises melted into the deep chocolate of her eyes. There were so many things swimming in there with the colours. Hurt, Gratitude, Loss. Hope?

All he wanted to see was acceptance.

"Don't…" she tried, but the rest of her sentence died on her tongue. Whatever she was going to say couldn't even reach her lips.

"No, I really am," The Doctor continued, using her silence as a chance to say everything. To tell her all the words that burnt through his tongue from regret in the years she was gone. "I'm sorry I left all those years ago." He spoke as if it had been hundreds, or thousands of years. It had only been two for him. But it could very well have been two hundred, or two thousand.

"You didn't mean to, there was nothing-"

"I'm sorry I did it again. I mean, that _he,_ no I, did that to you… again."

Rose looked up at him. He couldn't stop watching the colours in her eyes blend as tears slowly began to ghost their way over them. He couldn't focus on the feelings that must have been showing. It had been far too long since he last saw her eyes, her face. _Her. _

"I love you," he said. "I love you. That's why I, _he _left you behind again."

"I thought… I thought he- you didn't want me anymore-" she started, but The Doctor cut across her.

"Oh, I did. _He _did," he attempted. He might have been half-human, but explaining something so amazingly simple was still so amazingly complicated. "That's why, I did this again. I left you here, not because I didn't want you, but because I did. _He _did. He wanted to keep you, but… I couldn't bear watching you fade away when I- _he _stayed the same. He couldn't do that. He loves you. So he gave you up, to live a life with him, with me."

Rose looked away. She seemed to be thinking. Trying to make sense out of the babble that was his attempt at telling her what happened. Why? Why was he so complicated? It was even hard for him to explain himself. The Doctor loosened the grip he had on her hand, but her fingers snatched tightly back around his.

"Don't," she repeated. "Don't let go. Not yet."

The Doctor pulled his hand out of hers and wrapped both his arms around her. He pulled her close to him and let her bury her head into his shoulder. He remembered he used to do this. He remembered the feel of her against him. The smell of her. The scent of flowers and space. Of soap and sky. A beautiful perfume. A blend of Earth among the stars. She still had it. He breathed her in and sighed. God, he had missed her.

"Rose Tyler, I am never letting go of you again."

They remained that way for a long time. The world moved around them. They had just landed on a zeppelin. They were standing on the platform, overlooking the whole of London. The _Other _London. Two strangers desperately clinging onto the only part of home they had left.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Rose sobbed. The Doctor tightened his hold, pulling her even closer. So close he could feel her heart beating. Pounding against the right side of his chest, where his other heart once was. Filling the void that was now there.

"I know," he said, his voice strained. It hurt to speak.

Jackie was behind them. He could feel her watching them. He promised her he'd always bring Rose home. He never broke that promise. The TARDIS coral radiated in his pocket, sending a warmth flowing through him, running with his blood. Creeping down to his finger tips and filling his head with a soft song. One that had always been there.

Using the technology at Torchwood, and the advice from Donna, he could not only speed up the process by fifty-nine, but by five hundred and ninety! He had already worked out the whole equation in his head. In one year and about sixty-nine days, the TARDIS would be fully grown. Just waiting to take them away. To take him, The Doctor, and Rose Tyler away to the furthest reaches of the Universe. To the very heart of Time. Anywhere. Everywhere.

And he would not break his promise.

"Rose, sweet-heart," Jackie said, touching Rose's shoulder. Rose looked up, her eyes dry, but tell-tale streaks of mascara breaking her ruse. Jackie gave her daughter a comforting smile. "Are you going to go home, love? The Doctor can stay with us; Pete said he wouldn't mind-"

"No, The Doctor's coming with me," Rose said, matter-of-factly, as if nothing had happened. As if they had never been to Bad Wolf Bay. As if he _was _The Doctor. The _real _Doctor. _Don't be stupid, _he snapped to himself. _You _are _The Doctor. _

"But, Rose, sweetie," Jackie said, imploringly. "Wouldn't it be better to if you and him, spent a bit of time apart…"

"I spent years away from him; I'm never leaving him again!" Rose's arms grew so tight around The Doctor's waist that he felt as if some of the air was being squeezed out of his lungs. Jackie nodded, defeated. She turned and walked away, meeting a man who The Doctor knew to be Pete Tyler, who was holding a small child. _Toby_, The Doctor guessed.

"What do you think?" Rose turned to The Doctor and looked up at him. God, she was beautiful. The Doctor broke out in a grin. "Do you want to stay, with me?"

"Forever," he grinned, repeating the words she had said to him those two years ago.

Rose smiled a real smile. A big, wonderful, beautiful smile. The Doctor looked deep into her eyes. She was happy, he could see that. She did love him; he _knew _he could see that. But, behind all this, he could see something else swirling. Disappointment.

Hurt stabbed at The Doctor. Of course she was disappointed. After all, he was only a _copy! _He wasn't what she really wanted. Despite the fact that he was the same man who saved her from the Autons. The same man who regenerated. The same man, who held her hand, ran with her, danced with her, hugged her, kissed her…

Did any of that matter to her?

His smile became awkward, twitching downwards. He always imagined settling down with her. One of his greatest secrets. He would sit in the TARDIS console room, staring at the changing colours, wondering and dreaming of a life with Rose Tyler. A real one. But in all of his dreams, she loved him because he was him. Not because he was _him_.

"I know, it's probably not the life you wanted," Rose said, her voice dropping to a whisper. The Doctor watched her as her head broke contact with his, facing down, her grip slacking. She wasn't smiling anymore. "I know you'd much rather be up there, but, I was hoping… I know it's not what we wanted, but, I was thinking. Maybe you and me could, give it a go. A real one?"

She looked up at him. The disappointment was still there, but The Doctor ignored it. It was probably mirrored exactly in his own eyes. It would take a long time to heal from this. For both of them.

"Rose, I know _you'd _rather be up there with him," he said. "I know it's going to take time for us to get over this too. But I'm willing to suffer every minute of it, if it means I can be with you for the rest of my life."

Rose smiled again and threw her arms up around his shoulders, clutching onto him. He wrapped his arms around her waist. This was certainly not the life she had intended, and _definitely _not the life he had dreamed, but it didn't matter. It was _theirs. _At long last, it was theirs.

Then, he heard it. The noise rang through his ears and shattered the peace that had once been between them. They jumped apart and raced to the edge of the platform.

The TARDIS stood below on the street, sitting between two buildings. People walked past it, not even noticing. To them, it was just a blue box. Nothing important. But to _them_… Rose looked over at The Doctor as though expecting him to explain. But he merely gaped.

"That's, impossible," he breathed. "That can't… I-, I mean, _he _can't be here!"

Rose started to run towards the stairs leading to the street. The Doctor ran after. He could hear his heart breaking. Of course she'd run back to him. _Of course _she would. After all, he was the _real _one. They reached the street in record time and were in front of the blue, wooden doors within minutes. For a long while, they just stood there waiting.

"We could just walk away," The Doctor suggested, making sure not to sound too hopeful. Rose was focused entirely on the box. She placed a hand on it, her eyes swimming.

"We can't, Doctor," she said. "You, _he _shouldn't be here. That means something's wrong. And you know what we do when something's wrong." She gave him a smile. He didn't return it. Rose didn't wait for him to answer and pushed open the door. The Doctor followed, directly on her heel.

"Oh my, God…"

The TARDIS' lights had gone out. There was a small fire spitting from the console. The Doctor raced up and started batting the fire with his suit jacket. Rose ran over to the lump form, tripping in the dark as the fire suddenly went out. The Doctor pulled his glasses out of his pockets, (he had a pair for each suit, in the case they were forgotten), and slipped them on. Pulling dials and pressing buttons, The Doctor tried to give the TARDIS some power. (He ignored the wonderful feeling of home he was getting from doing so). A gentle, blue hue flew into existence-

"Doctor!"

The Doctor ran around and was at Rose's side before the last syllable of his name had left her. He froze. Rose was clutching onto the lapel of his other's jacket, her knuckles turning white. The Doctor took off his glasses and stared down at the face of his last regeneration. The less-haired, big-eared version of himself.

"Oh, now that's… impossible."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

The Doctor opened his eyes groggily. Oh, his head hurt. He raised his hand, only to feel someone in his way. Someone had their hand their hand on his forehead. As soon as he made contact, the said hand snatched away.

"Doctor?" The voice was tentative. Almost scared. _Wait a minute… _He knew that voice.

"Rose?" he whispered. The Doctor sat up and stared into the eyes of his companion as his vision became clear. She seemed different. Older. Her eyes weren't the young, curious ones he knew. This girl's eyes were old and sad. And her hair was different. A more, yellow blonde. It was shorter too. Even if just slightly.

But she looked like Rose. Painfully like Rose. But, it couldn't be. This wasn't Rose Tyler. This _couldn't _be Rose Tyler. Not his Rose…

"Who are you?!" he asked. The Rose-look-alike shot up straight, hurt flashing across her face. A hand came out of nowhere and clutched onto her shoulder. The Doctor glared at the stranger. Who was _he?! _"And who the _Hell _are you? _Where's Rose?!"_

"I'm Rose," the doppelganger answered, the hurt very pronounced in her voice. "Don't you know me?"

"Rose, I think we should leave…" the other man started. The Doctor looked right at the girl. She looked so worried. So sad. He had hurt her. Guilt flooded through him. But he had to know…

"Where's _my _Rose?" The Doctor asked again, gentler this time. The other man looked around.

"Actually, that's a very good question. He obviously knows you, so that means he's already met you, but then, where are you?" he said, getting up and turning on the spot. 'Rose' was still looking at The Doctor, her eyes searching his face as though she couldn't believe it was him.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, The Doctor got up. As soon as pressure was applied to his leg however, it gave way. Rose swept in out of nowhere and caught him.

"You don't change much, do you?" she said, trying a light tone of voice. The Doctor gave her a smile and let her guide him to the captain's chair. This had to be Rose. The feel of her hand in his and the support she gave him. This was definitely the same girl. But why did she look so different?

"HEY!" The Doctor shouted. The man leapt back from the controls of his ship. Rose whipped around to look at him. "Get away from my ship!"

"Calm down! I know what I'm doing!" the man defended. The Doctor laughed.

"I doubt it, that's a very advanced piece of technology, Pretty Boy. The TARDIS is the greatest ship in the Universe; do you really think a little human like you knows how she works?"

"Pretty boy?!" the man exclaimed. "Why is it always-? First River now-"

"Who's River?" Rose asked. The man's face dropped. His mouth gaped for a few seconds.

"She's… no one," he said, showing great discomfort. Rose looked away and gave a small smile.

"Right, of course," she said, trying to hide the offence in her voice. She looked up, a very forced smile. "The latest in the long line, yeah?"

"I never said that," the man snapped. The two of them were silent for a long time. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. Who the Hell was this guy anyway? He was obviously an idiot. Even worse than Ricky.

"C'mere, Rose," The Doctor said, holding out his arms. Rose looked at him for a moment, as if she was lost. Then, she let him pull her into a hug. This was without a doubt Rose. It had to be. The Doctor held onto her tightly. Only Rose could send that shock of electricity through him when they touched.

The man behind them at the console suddenly had a very irritated face on him. Despite himself, The Doctor felt pleased.

"Right!" the man exclaimed, making Rose shoot out of The Doctor's grasp and up to the other man's side. "The TARDIS has suffered some severe damage to her direction circuits. Like they were changed too quickly…"

"Maybe he made a mistake?"

"No, I think something changed them for him," the man mused darkly. He turned to The Doctor. "Do mind if I just-?"

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "I don't think so. No one touches my ship!"

"Fine then! God, I'm-" he stopped. Rose suddenly gave the man a wary look. "I'm very hard-done by." The Doctor knew that wasn't what he was going to say.

"Maybe, I'll let you look around, _maybe_-" The Doctor was going to do no such thing. "If you tell me who you are. _And _tell me where you've put my friend."

"I already said I don't know where she is! And me?!" the man pointed to himself. The Doctor looked at him fully. He was wearing a blue suit and red canvas shoes. His hair was wild and brown and he had big chestnut eyes, which were now opened incredulously. "Me? Oh, I'm no one."

"No one isn't a name," The Doctor countered.

"Smith, John Smith" the man said quickly. The Doctor raised his eyebrows. _You have got to be kidding me… _

Rose dropped her face into her hands, smirking. 'John Smith' glared at her. But it wasn't a real glare, more a playful one.

"Thinks she's funny, but I am _so_ not amused," John said, a smile tugging at his lips. Rose started laughing. It was an awkward laugh. Uncertain and careful. But still a laugh. The Doctor felt something grip in his stomach. There was no way it was jealously though. No way…

"Look, who are you people? What happened? And where's Rose?!" The Doctor pressed, ignoring Rose's laughter.

"I'm Rose," Rose said. She had turned back to face him and her face had changed drastically. All emotion had been cleared. She suddenly looked very business-like. "Look, do you know where you are?"

"I assume, Earth. It's always Earth," The Doctor replied, giving Rose a grin. She only smiled once before letting her face fall back into its hard set. She glanced over to John. He gave her a curt nod.

"You're not on Earth," he said. The Doctor looked at him. John looked away as though thinking. "Well, _not really_. Well, sort of. _Well, _you're on Parallel Earth."

The Doctor blinked; "Parallel Earth?" He turned back to Rose. "So, you're not my Rose, but a parallel Rose."

"No, I'm the same Rose," Rose replied. She looked as if she was about to continue, but with another glance at John, she remained silent. The Doctor felt unease creep up and envelope him.

"What's going on?" His voice was deep and demanding.

"You're trapped on Parallel Earth, about two or three years ahead in the future," John explained. He was looking at the TARDIS console, but more so looking _through _it. The man was completely consumed in his own thoughts, leaving Rose, (or Parallel Rose), looking rather lost.

"But I _can't _be on Parallel Earth!" The Doctor exclaimed. _Parallel? _All the things he knew and saw, wouldn't mean anything or may not even have happened here. And Rose… She had to be back in his Universe, regardless of what this Rose said. _His _Rose was in the other Universe, and therefore he needed to be too. "It's impossible to just _hop _from one world to another! You just can't do it!"

John rolled his eyes.

"Its dimensional relapse," he sighed in a bored way. The Doctor thought for a moment.

"For a dimensional relapse, the walls of the universes would have to have been weakened or torn away completely! _And that's impossible!"_ The Doctor replied. He ran the idea in his head fifty-two times and there was no way it was possible.

"Yeah, well… Recently a little, um, _pocket _of time was created," John explained, gaining a more enthusiastic tone. "It sort of created a whole bunch of dimensional, snags and errors. Time and Space got caught up as things from the certain times and spaces got picked up and placed inside the pocket. The things were all connected to their times and spaces and when they were pulled together Time and Space were sort of dragged along too. That caused a whole bunch of wires getting crossed. The problem's over now, but I'm guessing as the dimensions were closing, this one and the other may have, sort of, I dunno, _snapped-" _he clapped his hands together for effect. "-together. Like an elastic band being pulled back and released. And on the impact of this dimensional relapse, I'm guessing you kind of, slipped through. Probably because of the damages the TARDIS gained from the direction exchange."

The Doctor stared at John blankly.

"Looks like you finally found yourself a boyfriend with some brains, Rose," The Doctor smirked at his Parallel companion. Rose did not return the smile and turned to walk around the console.

"When you say, direction change-?"

"Transmat," John replied, his face slowly turning into recognition. "No… Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" John suddenly seemed to leap into life and started running around the TARDIS. The Doctor protested angrily, but his leg kept him down, and John ignored him anyway.

"D-John what is it?" Rose asked, her eyes darting to The Doctor for the smallest second. The Doctor felt uneasy once more.

The man dragged Rose over to the other side of the console, and pointed at the monitor. Whispering to her rapidly, his face becoming more and more desperate. Rose's face fell slack. The Doctor swallowed. What was so important about a transmat?

"Excuse me, Doctor," John said looking up. "What was your last destination? And who were you with?" The Doctor snorted.

"You want me to divulge information about my travelling to a random stranger?" The Doctor smirked and looked at Rose again. "I take my last comment back, Rose. He's just as thick as Rickey-"

"Mickey", both Rose and John chimed at once. Rose stepped forwards. "Doctor, please. It's really important you tell us." The Doctor looked at Rose closely. She was so different.

"Raxacoricofallapatorius, with Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness," The Doctor replied sullenly. Rose smiled. The Doctor couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. She was smiling at him like she was smiling at a child who had done something he was told. He looked away. "Look, if you don't mind. I'd like to get to my infirmary. Not sure if you noticed, but my leg needs attention!" The Doctor stood up, only for his leg to give way and send him to the floor.

Rose was at his side in an instant. She looked to John. The strange man rolled his eyes.

"I'd forgotten how stubborn-" he stopped talking and looked at Rose, then groaned. "Oh alright, bring him to the infirmary. If it shuts him up." The Doctor glared at John response.

"C'mon," Rose helped The Doctor to his feet and guided him towards the TARDIS corridor.

"Oi! And you! John whatever!" John looked up from the console at The Doctor. The Doctor lowered his voice, to an almost growl-like pitch.

"Don't touch my ship."

John stepped away from the console, his dark eyes strange and distant beneath his glasses. The Doctor let Rose guide him to the infirmary.

Who was that man? There was no way he could know how to work the TARDIS. No one but Time Lords knew how to fly, or even communicate fully with a TARDIS. Unless… The Doctor shook the ridiculous notion from his mind. There was no way John was a Time Lord. _He'd know. _And John was human. Human as could be.

**I hope you like it! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The Doctor wrenched open the panel on the wall and let it clang to the floor, making Rose jump. Pulling out the sonic-screwdriver, he started working, searching for any sign of life. Rose stood behind him in silence, her breathing quiet and even. But every now and then he heard the tell-tale _sniff _of someone that had been crying. The torch she had been given filled the small area of the corridor with a dull, yellow light that seemed cold and lonely. The Doctor looked at Rose and took her in.

She had changed so much. Not just in looks, but in her nature. The childish gleam that once danced in her honey-comb eyes had gone. Snuffed out in the dark sadness that now swam in them. He wished he knew what had happened to make her this way. Pulling a wire that looked blue, (but it could've been green), he started to try and pry open the second panel.

"So, three years," he said to her calmly, making his voice as warm as possible. "Long time. For you humans, anyway. Honestly, it's not that long. Is it?"

"Human or not, it still feels like a long time," she replied darkly. The Doctor nodded once, trying to fill the silence by making as much noise as possible with the wires and panel. But he couldn't help but ask further.

"How long has it been?" he asked sadly, almost wistfully. Rose shifted a bit, standing up straight instead of leaning against the wall. She faced and him and looked at him questioningly.

"What'd you mean?" her voice faltering, and for a moment, she sounded just like the Rose he knew.

"How long have I been gone out of your life?" The Doctor said, turning back to her once more, this time catching her eyes. Emotions swirled in the honey and chocolate, churning but not quite mixing. She chewed the bottom of her lip nervously, as if trying to think of a right answer. The Doctor tried to read her, but she looked away too soon.

"It's been five years," she answered. The Doctor furrowed his brow.

"But, that John-bloke said it's only been three years," he replied, confused at her statement. Rose shifted uncomfortably again.

"Yeah, well..." She swallowed. "A year in your world, and four here. Five years. Time runs, faster over here so it's only three years in the future for you, and five for me." The Doctor felt his stomach twist awkwardly. He swallowed thickly.

"So, you only travelled with me for a year?" He tried to drown out the hurt in his voice, but it still had a pained shadow to the words. Rose looked up at him again, her eyes shimmering in the dull light. He always thought she'd stay with him for- Well, for longer than a year. Much longer.

"Well, sort of- not really, but... I'm sorry, I really shouldn't say," she said, breaking off and stepping away from him. The Doctor nodded and returned to his search for life amongst the wires. They remained silent for a few moments before The Doctor spoke once more.

"How'd you get here?" he asked before he could stop the words. Rose looked at him, pushing a stray blonde strand behind her ear. "And before you say anything, I mean _here. _This world. It's impossible to just pop to-and-fro from realities. So there has to be some really good reason you're here."

"I... fell."

"You fell?!" The Doctor exclaimed, dropping the wires to face Rose again, tired of all her cryptic answers. Crossing his arms across his chest he said; "How? You just, sort-of _fell _into a Parallel world?!"

"Sort-of, yeah!" Rose cried, equally annoyed. They stared at each other for a long time before Rose spoke again. "Look, I know it's frustrating being here. Trapped in this world without any means of leaving it, but you've just got to _trust _me and John because we're the only people who can help you right now!" The Doctor registered her words carefully as her past irritation died away. They fell into silence again before The Doctor voiced the question that had been aching in his head since he accepted she was the same Rose.

"Why'd you leave?"

"I told you, I fell," she answered, her voice cracking on the last word. Rose raised her hand to the panel and started pulling at a loose wire. "I didn't _choose _to leave. I just... did."

A tear rolled down her cheek and fell into the dark. The Doctor reached forward, cradling her face in his hand. Rose was watching him, her eyes darting around his face before finally settling on his eyes. He watched as more tears skimmed and leaked out of her eyes, clinging to her eye-lashes. She took a shaky breath, the torch light dancing in her tears. There was something in the air. A scent The Doctor had sensed since he found himself in this Universe.

She smelt of sand and sea. Of a wind blowing and there was a smell of salt. Whether it was from the sea air or her new tears, The Doctor didn't know. But it was strange. Rose shouldn't have such a fragrance. She smelt of _home_. Not of the sea.

"I just can't... I mean, seeing you, like this," Rose sobbed, biting her lip. The Doctor ran his thumb on her cheek, catching another tear on his fingertips. "I never thought-"

"Oh, Rose," The Doctor sighed. He pulled her to him and held on to her tightly. She seemed so much younger now. Younger than he had ever seen her. Lost and scared. He felt her press her hands into the back of his jacket, trying to force him closer. Five years... That was such a long time. And to think mere hours before, he had been with her. Laughing with her at one of Jack's stupid jokes. One year together. The Doctor shuddered. That was... Suddenly, a realisation hit him and he pulled Rose away.

"Five years ago, that means you were twenty when you fell-" Desperation rushed the words and The Doctor felt like the world had dropped out from under his feet when Rose's face changed to a knowing sadness. A look of regretful... acceptance. The Doctor kept going; "And you and me have been travelling for a year now! We celebrated your twentieth-birthday just last week. Me, you and Jack. On Celuba..."

Rose sniffed, stepping away and wiping her eyes. She fixed her jacket, pulling the pink t-shirt that hung out from underneath lower. The light from the torch flashed across the roof as it moved awkwardly in her hands. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I should say any more. You don't quite understand what I mean, and I can't explain. You of all people of should know that. You're not supposed to be here. You were not supposed to meet me here, or even learn of me being here. This is... wrong."

The Doctor said nothing, but continued to watch Rose as she held the torch for him. The situation was certainly wrong. Rose Tyler was not supposed to be locked away in a Parallel world, especially a world where he could not get to her. And if what she said was true, who knows how long he'll have left with her. Suddenly, The Doctor's musings were interrupted as a blue spark burst into life behind a knot of wires. The Doctor cried out happily.

"Life! One, tiny insignificant cell is holding onto energy! Oh, my beautiful ship!" The Doctor patted the TARDIS' wall comfortingly and delved into the panel, retrieving the small crystal that was burning with the smallest blue light. He laughed loudly. "Never underestimate the power of the simple cell, Rose!" With that, he grabbed her softly and kissed her forehead before darting down the corridor back to the console room.

- - -

The Doctor fumbled with one of the levers that jutted out of the TARDIS console. His fingers drifted across the familiar buttons and he suddenly felt overwhelmed with an ache deep within himself. The TARDIS coral radiated from his pocket, but its song seemed quieter now than it had been on the roof; subdued. He let out a shaky breath and tried to concentrate on what was happening. Davros' pocket of time had set the entire Universe out of sync, timelines that should never have even shadowed each other were now crossing, and Rose was going to suffer for it.

He knew that even if his past self found out what had happened, what awaited him in the future; there was still nothing he could do about it. It needed to happen. He needed to regenerate, so Rose would survive. He needed Rose to fall, so he could find Bad Wolf Bay. He needed to leave her there, the words unfinished, so he could meet Donna. And the rest was, as they say, history. Everything in his timeline was fixed; there was no area of flux. Everything that happened needed to happen.

The Doctor pulled off his glasses and started fiddling with them. They weren't as nice as his other pair; these were only used in case of emergency. They weren't as chunky as his favourites, and the black on the pair in his hands was slightly faded. He missed his old ones. Maybe he could go shopping and find new ones. And maybe Janis Joplin was still alive in this Universe. Might get his old coat back. Though of course, it wouldn't be quite the same.

The Doctor looked up as his past self entered, holding up a glowing cell in his hand. He had a triumphant grin across his face and Rose followed behind him. The Doctor watched as the past Doctor held the cell out proudly. It was not unlike the one he himself had found when he, Rose and Mickey found themselves trapped in Pete's World for the first time. A small crystal like thing in a golden ring, glowing faintly in a soft blue.

"People never truly appreciate tiny little cells," the past Doctor said enthusiastically, pocketing the piece and standing before The Doctor. Rose stepped out from behind his past self and up to The Doctor's side. Her eyes were downcast and she looked tired. Who could blame her?

"And how long before you get that working?" The Doctor asked his past self. The leather clad Doctor watched him carefully.

"Twenty-four hours, max," he replied before looking at Rose. The Doctor nodded and got up from the captain's chair, taking Rose's hand.

"We should go," he said softly. Rose looked at him, her eyes questioning. "You need some rest after... today."

"It can wait," Rose countered, looking away. The Doctor sighed and took her other hand.

"Rose, you _need _some rest. Today was troubling enough, forget how far you travelled before then," The Doctor said, careful not to let too much slip. Rose looked back at him, small bags under her eyes. He reached up and cupped her face, stroking her cheek lightly with his thumb. He gave her his best grin. "How far is your house from here?"

"Just a taxi away," she said, a small laugh gracing the end of her sentence. The Doctor nodded and reached into his pocket. Oh...

"No money," Rose said. It wasn't a question. The Doctor let his hands slip out of Rose's grip.

"Never had a use for it before," he said quietly, watching as Rose shifted into a more independent position. It was then when his past self intervened;

"She can sleep here," he said brightly. The Doctor and Rose both turned to look at him. He grinned. "She camp out in her room, I doubt my Rose will object when I get back." Rose looked at The Doctor, as if waiting for permission. The Doctor would've preferred to leave, let Rose forget about him, the _old _him and move on with her life. Let time take its course.

But Rose was so tired...

"Alright, a little rest can't hurt," he said at last, smiling tenderly at Rose. She returned his smile and started towards the corridor, The Doctor following closely behind, leaving his past self alone in the TARDIS console room.

**Yeah, that chapter was a bit slow. But the next one will be better, I promise. ^^ **


End file.
